Unrelated Sappy Post

As we speak, Boyfriend is on his way home! To me! For the weekend!

:D

Getting caught up on the news I missed during finals ...

... and I stumbled across this in the Washington Post:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/26/AR2009042602711.html

The former head of the FDA discusses his struggle with his weight, and being able to control overeating. I've heard a lot of this information, but I thought it was interesting that a man who went to medical school, law school and ran the FDA has the same issue I have.

I think it's a good read, and the effects of fat, sugar, and salt on our weight are being accepted more and more every day. However, I then watched this guy on the Colbert Report ... and I think I want to read his book. I think the brain is key in all of this, and I want to understand it.

Because I know that I have issues with the snack cracker aisle. Sadies cookies make me weak, despite the fact that I don't really like them, because they remind me of my grandmother. I can't eat Girl Scout Cookies, because I'll eat the whole box.

Etc.

I've been better. Much better. But I'm not there yet.

More running

Well, A over at Walking the Distance has inspired me. She's been blogging about running, and she just sounds like she loves it. A lot. I ran track in middle school, but even then I had a touch-and-go relationship with running. As an adult, I'm going to try to get over that feeling.

There are a ton of ways to start, but since I work out with my iPod, I decided that a podcast would probably be a good idea. And dang, there are a lot of them. A lot of free running podcasts. :)

I chose a series by Robert Ullrey, Podcasts for running: Couch to 5k (A, you may have planted the seed in my head for this particular podcast -- if so, thanks! It's great!). It's 9 weeks of running, with a different podcast for each week.

What I like best about it is that it's portable and gets you started slow. For instance, this week's podcast is roughly a 25 minute workout, starting with a brisk walk (constant throughout the program) and followed by alternating running for 60 seconds, then walking quickly for 90. I believe there were 8 running sections, followed by a 5 minute cool down.

Let me tell you, I started out saying, "A minute is up already? I could have gone a lot longer ...." and ended not completely exhausted, but with that nasty side-pain you get when you run and you're out of shape.

The downside is that the music is a little ... dancy. I mean, it gets the job done, but it's not the same as my usual workout mix, which threw me off just a little. But, I'll take it, if I have someone else keeping time for me.

Anyway, it was painful, as expected, but I've been home for about 15 minutes, and feel great. My body's got more endurance, and is getting better about recovering quickly. :) All good things.

Running!

I ran!

I tried the gym, but it was closed for memorial day weekend, as it's through the university. I'd already walked the 1.5 miles to get there, and I was bored with walking. So I ran and walked. :)

I estimate that I probably only ran about half a mile of it. But, considering it's been YEARS since I even tried to run for more than a few feet, I feel pretty good about it.

I'm going to try again tomorrow!

Um, I lied?

Got on the scale this morning to 195.5.

I imagine it will level out there, as I'm nearing the end of "that time of the month" and my body is going back to normal, not retaining water and bloating like one of those big cartoon balloons in parades.

it was a very WTF moment, though. I cheated last night and ate french fries (from whole foods - they're salt and rosemary fries ... mmmm!), and this morning I'm .5lb lighter.

The gods truly have a sense of humor.

Other new foods on review this week: Bumble Bars (again, found at Whole Foods). I'm looking for new snack bar. I've tried the Fiber One bars, but they've got HFCS in them, and ... well, I still eat them (or the generic version), but I still think it's good to give my body more natural ingredients.

I looked at Cliff Bars, and while they looked REALLY yummy, they're pretty carby even for a granola type bar. I'm just not to that stage yet. :)

So, these bars. They're about the size of a Hersey chocolate bar. They're organic, gluten-free, and vegan. Not that those last two matter much to me personally, but these bars can fit into most diets. I bought three kids: Original flavor, Chocolate, and Hazelnut.

I was super hungry on the way out of the store, so I tried the orginial -- it was good! It's not like a typical granola bar in that it's not super sweet. It was very flax-y, and very yummy. It filled me up, has 17g carbs, 5g fiber, and 6g protein.

The downside: they're fatty and calorie-rich. Of 230 calories, 140 are fat calories. So this won't be something I'm chowing down on all the time, but as I don't eat granola-y things very often anymore, it's probably still an OK option for breakfast in the morning, if I'm mindful of my fat intake for the rest of the day.

I also picked up some Amy's burritos. I know they're not the best option in the entire world, but dammit, I miss burritos, and I love Amy's. I made sure to pick the ones that were less-bad for me, and I'll make sure to have a salad, etc when I eat one.

And, this morning, because I didn't realize yoga was cancelled for Memorial Day, I tried out a cafe near the studio for breakfast. It's this really cute French-inspired crepe shop. I got a multi-grain crepe with egg and turkey sausage and this light cream sauce. It came with a little salad topped with two mandarin orange slices. Very yummy! I may have to try to make something similar at home sometime.

If you'll notice on the side bar ...

... I have a new low weight! The past three mornings I've been 196.o.

I'm baffled, b/c I really haven't been working out this week. I was starting a new job and getting used to a new routine with Boyfriend gone, and I let it get the best of me. I'll chalk it up to the fact that I've been taking my lunch every day, and eating more salad. Yay for yummy seasonal food!

Dear Gap: I love you

So, I haven't changed it on the side ticker yet (I want to wait until the whoremones settle down to make sure) but this morning I weighed in at 197.5. New low! Not bad, considering not long ago I was at 202-ish.

In other news: Ladies with hips, hear me now. Do you hate shopping for jeans like I do? Because I hate it. In fact, hate is too nice a word. I would rather do anything in life than shop for jeans. I'd have my wisdom teeth cut out again. I'd go back to that time I had mono. I'd even take law school exams all over again if someone told me that the perfect jeans would just appear in my closet.

Because, dear readers, when you are shaped like me, the perfect jeans are SO hard to find. I have a kind-of-hourglass figure. I say kind of, b/c my waist, while significantly smaller than my hips, is not as small as it once was when I truly defined myself as hourglass. Either way, I have hips. I have hips for DAYS, readers. And my waist is relatively small. And my thighs ... oh, my thighs. They are just huge.

So, this resulted in never having a pair of jeans fit properly. If they fit my thighs and hips, they were huge in the waist. I'm talking, "why, hello, yes, if you look down you CAN see my underwear through the gap in the front of my jeans" large. And if they were the size that would fit my waist, they would never get there b/c my thighs wouldn't allow it.

That is, gentle readers, until I tried the Gap. Yes, I have lost enough weight that I don't feel ridiculous going into a Gap store. Yes, the employees are size 0. But they carry up to a size 18 in the store. And I wear a 14-16 now. So I went.

And I am IN LOVE.

I got there about 30 minutes before closing, so I didn't get to try on every jean in the store. But let me tell you -- I love the Gap for jeans. Love. I began with the Essential jean -- in which I am a size 14. I loved them, especially in a dark wash. They fit almost like a pair of trousers, which, frankly, is great for my shape. I would have gladly purchased a pair and walked out until ...

... I came upon the Curvy jean. I was intrigued, because, as mentioned before, I am curvy, so shouldn't my jean be curvy, too? But, I was skeptical. Old Navy had (or has? I haven't purchased jeans there in ages) a Curvy fit, too. And they LIED. Oh, they lied. Perhaps these women they had in mind had SLIGHTLY larger hips than waist, but they certainly did not have above average thighs. And, as my calves are German and muscular, the Old Navy jeans would cling to them, even in the "flare" cuts. They were stretchy and thin, and kind of molded to your leg (which is not what a big girl wants!), and they always shrank up an inch and a half in the wash. In short, I had some baggage.

But, when I took the Gap Curvy's into the dressing room, they did not disappoint. They were dark wash, with an inseam long enough for heels and washing. They fit my hips. They fit my thighs. And readers, they FIT MY WAIST. Perfectly. As if the jean maker had me in mind when he made them.

I put the Essentials back (though they fit very well, too -- better than any jean in a long time) and purchased two pairs of the Curvy in dark wash. I don't think I'll even need a belt. I don't remember the last time I didn't have to wear a belt with jeans. I'll feel naked.

I know this was a very long post to write about a pair of jeans. And probably jeans that everyone else has already discovered. But ... for my entire developed life, I have never had a pair of jeans that fit so well, and in a cut that makes me look thinner. It was as if an entire new world was opened to me today.

So, yes. I spent $108 on two pairs of jeans, a number that would noramally appall me. But they were worth every penny.

New job tomorrow

Hello, Gentle Readers. I have recovered (mostly) from my intense reaction to Boyfriend's leaving for the summer. I'm sure after a while we'll get the phone date thing worked out, and I'll be back to my normal cheery self.

But, in other news, I start my summer job at Judge's office tomorrow. As such, I was trying on my dress clothes ... and wouldn't you know? Even though I haven't lost any weight by the scale since I last tried on my suit pants, they are noticeably looser. Previously they were just a tad too tight, and were uncomfortable to sit in. Now, they fit almost-loosely.

This means I have gained muscle! And that yoga has done a good job at toning up my flabby body. :) I'm planning on keeping it up at 4 or 5 times a week at the studio over the summer. Hopefully I'll be a shadow of my former self when school starts in the fall.

To that end, I have started the "simple and easy meals" part of my summer. I have already packed the leftovers from my dinner for lunch tomorrow. I made a low-fat, low-sodium chicken and musthroom soup bake with brown rice. I will steam some broccoli in the morning, and maybe take half an apple or a small bunch of grapes for lunch.

In an unrelated tangent: I hate that Clerk (my direct boss for the summer) has told me that the office is "casual." How confusing! It's a business office, and that of a Judge, so surely it is not truly casual? I went in for my interview in a button-down and black suit pants, and felt a little too dressy. Tomorrow I'm planning on new blue and white striped cotton trousers from Old Navy (from a distance they look gray) and a short-sleeved blouse. I have a non-suit pencil skirt, some black pants, and a few cardigans and blouses that I was planning on wearing -- do these sound appropriate? Any of you highly successful ladies out there have any recommendations for me in this area? Prior to this job, I've either worked retail or been a lab tech, as I was in college. Any help you can give me would be greatly appreciated.

Off Topic

I know this blog isn't really about Boyfriend, though I mention him a lot. But he just left for the summer, and I am sad about it. I know he'll be back in no more than a month to help move out of the current apartment (and clean out the apartment I "live in" but don't ever stay in) and into the new apartment upstairs.

But, in the 9 months we've been together, I've been staying here every night since probably December. And we go to school together, though we had no classes together. So, despite the fact that he only left this morning, I am definitely missing him already.

I may or may not have even had a little cry about it.

Don't judge. I'm a pre-menstrual girl on a diet whose boyfriend just left for the summer. I consider it a victory that I haven't ordered pizza for dinner.

Blooooooat

So, I know this is normal, but this "time of the month" is always discouraging for the weigh-ins. Even though I'm on the pill, I retain water like a mo-fo during the week before my "period." Stupid drop in estrogen.

I know the extra 2lbs will go away after next week when I don't have all the extra water weight, but knowing that I sucked it up hardcore the past two weeks, being stressed about Boyfriend leaving for the summer (oh yeah, for Readers who don't know me -- Boyfriend got a job in another state this summer, so we will be separated), worrying about starting the write-on competition for journals, and just generally being kind of hormonal, I didn't need to see the extra two pounds -- making me around 3.5 or 4lbs heavier than two weeks ago.

It's just discouraging. I know it can be fixed, and fixed rather quickly. But still. Ugh.

On the plus side, I have healthy chicken noodle soup (with whole grain noodles) that Boyfriend made left over. And this week I will truly be better with the diet and exercise. We went on a walk this morning already, just to look at the old houses in our neighborhood and maybe scout for places we may want to live after this next school year. I'll go to yoga tonight if I can shake this sore throat. If not, I'll go for another walk.

Baby steps. Baby. Steps.